Struggling...Budget Build - Intel or AMD?

[bmwme]

I've search and read and search...and I'm sick of it.

I just want someone to make up my mind for me! haha

My old AMD 2600+ based system is dead and it is time to upgrade. I am giong to need a mothboard, CPU. memory and a video card. I currently use my system for very little. Basically internet and COD2. I have a 7800gs and that seems ok...but I would assume it would be much better paired with a more recent cpu. Alas I have the AGP version so that won't work on ALL the new motherboards....thanks computer industry!

So what does it sound like I want? I have been an AMD boy for years but this Core 2 Duo seems really good. I just can't spend much money as I don't have much. Maybe $200 for all of this? Can I only get used?

 

[Cogman]

For a low price, AMD is the way to go, as they have generally cheaper motherboards (with higher quality) then intels. You can easily get a $50 Motherboard for amd that preforms pretty well.

For you situation I would recommend a motherboard rated well for overclocking, the bottem of the line Brisbane AMD CPU, and a good aftermarket cooler to overclock the sucker.

I think you can find AGP AM2 motherboards, so that will save a few bucks, and DDR2 is really cheap right now ($27 for a gig!). Ill look up a combo for you in a second.

 

[Cogman]

Wow, AM2 + AGP motherboards are rarer then I thought. Either way, here is what I came up with.

MSI K9MM-V AM2 VIA K8M800 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $47.99

Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5/1G - Retail $24.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 65W Processor Model ADO4000DDBOX - Retail $69.99

Total
142.97

Thats probably the cheapest you will get (unless you go for a sempron), You might think about doubling the ram

 

[21stHermit]

Here are a half-dozen Intel AGP MB's:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...tion=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=
Appears the only one worth considering is $60.

You can get a various Celeron and Pentium CPU's for them for $40-60. The cheapest dual core is the E2140 at ~$70.

HTH
Hermit

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: bmwme
I am giong to need a mothboard, CPU. memory and a video card.
...
I currently use my system for very little. Basically internet and COD2.
...
$200 for all of this?

Short of finding a Fry's combo special... here goes...

Athlon 64 3500+ $43 shipped
1GB DDR2-800 $34 shipped
Geforce6100 chipset board $53 shipped
Video card, for around $70 you can get an 8500GT or maybe Radeon 2600 Pro after rebate.

You can also sell your 7800GS first, then you should be able to afford a Radeon x1950 Pro or Geforce 8600GTS.

 

[taltamir]

Get an M2N-E asus board... it is the best board I have ever worked with... and not expensive (under 100$)
http://www.newegg.com/product/...p?item=N82E16813131022

Couple it with a patriot DDR800 5-5-5-12 ram which it automatically overclocks alot at absolutely no reliability issues...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...p?Item=N82E16820220227

And whichever AMD X2 cpu you think is good enough... (depending on your budget) and a geforce 8800 GTS (or wait 2 weeks for the GT to come out...)

Any 500watt power supply.



I just realised you said you only have 200$... For this budget you should find exactly which part is broken... So we know what we have to work with and what has to be replaced... My suggestion is to replace the damaged part... this is simply not enough money for a worthwhile upgrade...

 

[Quiksilver]

Decent Intel Set-Up:

Motherboard - AsRock 4CoreDual-SATA2 ~$60
Processor - Intel E2140 ~$75
Memory - Patiot PSD21G667KH ~$40

Total: ~$175

Notes:
Mobo - This motherboard supports both DDR and DDR2 so you could probably salvage what RAM you have now and add it to this build for more RAM; or use what you have now and not buy any new RAM. Also has a AGP slot so you could use your current video card.

Memory - I choose this out of personal preference as it has a heat spreader unlike say corsair value select and the fact the color scheme matches better with that asrock mobo. Only reasons behind this tbh.

 

[11427]

Here is another route you could go. Upgrade to a new Intel Core 2 Duo and use your current video and memory.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115031
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157115

 

[996GT2]

OP, if you look in the hot deals forum there are deals on HP-branded Crucial DDR2 for $10/GB after rebates. If you have the cash to pay for them upfront and then do the rebates (HP rebates are usually very reliable), then you can essentially get 4 GB of quality Crucial D9 based DDR2 for about $45 shipped.

Here is the link to hot deals on AT:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ight_key=y&keyword1=HP

Here is the direct link to the seller:
http://www.pcuniverse.com/product.asp?pid=3863691

 

[GundamF91]

bmwme, if you're truly on a budget like me, then I'd suggest try to fix up your 2600+ system. How's it broken? Is it the Athlon XP, motherboard, the RAM, or power supply? You can probably use most of the parts if you don't jump to a brand new platform. If you have spare parts to plug in and diagnose the issue, may be you only need to change one component for minimal cost and you'll run fine again. Your system is probably Socket A. The Athlon XP Barton 3200+ is about as high as you can go with Socket A, so it may or may not make sense for you to upgrade the whole thing depending on how satisfied you were with the 2600+ system.

I used to have 1.2Ghz T-bird, but now I am running XP-M 2600+ @2.2Ghz, the only thing changed was the CPU and it only cost me $25. The system feels faster, but I was pretty okay with 1.2Ghz except when it comes to games. I also have the old AGP slot, so I'm stuck with the ATi x1600 AGP card. Now with this slight upgrade, I am doing just fine with most modern games @ 1680x1050 with video setting turned down to medium. I plan to use this rig until I move over to Quad next year.

Right now if I was to upgrade, I'd get the Intel Core2Duo but it may be exceeding your budget somewhat. I think the smart thing is to upgrade when you really need to (for games etc), and get the most you can afford and make sure the platform is fairly new so you can upgrade components when necessary. This way you get the max out of a single platform instead of upgrading everything and end up with a bunch of left over parts.

 

[jjmIII]

I think it would be crazy to build on anything but a Socket 775 board.

If you sell your old parts, and add 200 to that, I think you could piece together an Abit IP35-E and Intel e2140. Grab that cheap DDR2 everyone posted above, and try to find a used PCI-e card in FS/T. Shoot for an 8600GT.

You'll have NO questions about your NEXT upgrade. There are PLENTY of nice S775 chips to add later...

EDIT: AND plenty of PCI-e upgrades...

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Cogman
For a low price, AMD is the way to go, as they have generally cheaper motherboards (with higher quality) then intels. You can easily get a $50 Motherboard for amd that preforms pretty well.

For you situation I would recommend a motherboard rated well for overclocking, the bottem of the line Brisbane AMD CPU, and a good aftermarket cooler to overclock the sucker.

I think you can find AGP AM2 motherboards, so that will save a few bucks, and DDR2 is really cheap right now ($27 for a gig!). Ill look up a combo for you in a second.

Wrong, very wrong. With AGP as a requirement he's limited to something with a VIA chipset for both AMD and Intel.

I'd go for this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157115

With this CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115014

He gets to keep his RAM and use that and gets something that is a far better performer.

 

[GundamF91]

Unless you have a really good AGP card, I'd recommend going over to the PCI-e platform, otherwise your motherboard platform is already obsolete before you even buy it. It's only going to cost you more in the long run.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Cogman
For a low price, AMD is the way to go, as they have generally cheaper motherboards (with higher quality) then intels. You can easily get a $50 Motherboard for amd that preforms pretty well.

For you situation I would recommend a motherboard rated well for overclocking, the bottem of the line Brisbane AMD CPU, and a good aftermarket cooler to overclock the sucker.

I think you can find AGP AM2 motherboards, so that will save a few bucks, and DDR2 is really cheap right now ($27 for a gig!). Ill look up a combo for you in a second.

Wrong, very wrong. With AGP as a requirement he's limited to something with a VIA chipset for both AMD and Intel.

I'd go for this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157115

With this CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115014

He gets to keep his RAM and use that and gets something that is a far better performer.

Without keeping your AGP card, I would agree with Cogman...but jonmcc33 has a very valid point (and what looks to be an excellent choice in parts given your desires).

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33
I'd go for this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813157115

Actually, not that bad a choice. Can keep video card and RAM, and then upgrade later. The only negative is probably no overclocking on that board, which is a huge strength of the Intel platform.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Why not try and sell the 7800GS on eBay (or something), and get a X1950. Would save you lots of trouble next time.

 

[nyker96]

Originally posted by: QuiksilverX1
Decent Intel Set-Up:

Motherboard - AsRock 4CoreDual-SATA2 ~$60
Processor - Intel E2140 ~$75
Memory - Patiot PSD21G667KH ~$40

Total: ~$175

Notes:
Mobo - This motherboard supports both DDR and DDR2 so you could probably salvage what RAM you have now and add it to this build for more RAM; or use what you have now and not buy any new RAM. Also has a AGP slot so you could use your current video card.

Memory - I choose this out of personal preference as it has a heat spreader unlike say corsair value select and the fact the color scheme matches better with that asrock mobo. Only reasons behind this tbh.

I like this setup too, nice upgrade path and as you get new stuff, the board can take DDR2 and PCI-E later.

 

[bmwme]

Big thank you to everyone! Awesome replies!!

I'm leaning toward the 4coredual but from the reviews it seemed that it was boardline pointless to get a dual core intel cpu with a board that can't overclock...since it is so easy to do with the new Intels. So does the 4coredual have any BIOS revisions that may help a little in the OCing department? I mean I'm sure I'll be happy with the stock speed because I'm coming from so much less, but knowing my CPU has SO much more in it might frustrate me.

Update:

I'm almost ready to press the button...
Asrock 4 Core Dual paired with a 2140 or 2160 (is there any benifit to either?). It will be about $140 shipped and I'll be able to reuse my DDR1 400 and AGP 7800gs. This should suit me for now, but I will want to upgrade each part over time.

Lets say I have this setup and a little extra cash, what is the best upgrade? pic-e card? DDR2?

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: bmwme
Update:

I'm almost ready to press the button...
Asrock 4 Core Dual paired with a 2140 or 2160 (is there any benifit to either?). It will be about $140 shipped and I'll be able to reuse my DDR1 400 and AGP 7800gs. This should suit me for now, but I will want to upgrade each part over time.

Lets say I have this setup and a little extra cash, what is the best upgrade? pic-e card? DDR2?

That is the best upgrade path I can see, with a few things to keep in mind.

First, you may need a new powersupply to run this rig as wattage requirements have gone up since your system was first built. This looks like a good one from Cooler Master that is only $25 after a $20MIR ($45 free shipping up front).

Second, I would spend an extra $10 and get the e2180 for $93. It runs at 2.0GHz and if you aren't going to OC you want more speed standard.

Third, you don't mention how much RAM your system has, if less than 1GB drop a few bucks on 1-2GB of DDR2 RAM (very little difference in performance between DDR/DDR2 but DDR2 is way cheap right now). If only buying 1GB DDR2 make sure to get a single stick so you can add another later.

The 7800gs is not a bad card and will perform even better once you put a bit more processor muscle behind it.

Good luck with your rebuild!

 

[21stHermit]

Originally posted by: bmwme
Asrock 4 Core Dual paired with a 2140 or 2160 (is there any benifit to either?).

I'd go with the E2180, only $8 more and the 10X multiplier will be an advantage if you want to OC. If not you're up 10% for $8.

FWIW
Hermit

 

[SerpentRoyal]

- $71 after rebate Abit IP35-E. P35 board with full 45nm quad (Peryn) support. No problem pushing a capabable Intel CPU north of 3.6GHz.

- $20 after rebate (1GB x 2) HP/Crucrial 1.8V DDR2 667.

- E2160, E2180, E4400, or E4500. Look for sale @ $80 or less. Most will hit 3.2GHz with a few north of 3.4GHz.

$171 total or less. Use the extra $ for a new GPU. You can upgrade to Peryn quad down the road.

This rig can easily hit 3.2GHz if you don't happen to come across a bum CPU.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...a=BA23929&RSKU=BA23929

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2099957&enterthread=y

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie....hmx?scriteria=BA23881

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2099932&enterthread=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2063989&enterthread=y

 

[j0j081]

nice thread. I am thinking about doing the same kinda thing now but not sure if it would be worth it for me as I have a little faster cpu than the op to begin with. any suggestions? I am on a strict budget to. I have a 7800gs also and it seems okay but my main problem is especially in Vista my cpu can't keep up with the newest online games when there is a lot going on at once.

 

[imported_seferio]

Is your motherboard Socket 939? If so getting a cheap X2 dual core would probably be a pretty big boost without forcing you to change anything else in your system.

EDIT: NM I googled the motherboard and it seems to be Socket 754. You would probably have to do something similar to the OP and buy another motherboard (that has AGP) and a dual core CPU.

 

[j0j081]

no this is 754. that's why I'm kinda stuck.

 

[bmwme]

Originally posted by: GundamF91
bmwme, if you're truly on a budget like me, then I'd suggest try to fix up your 2600+ system. How's it broken? Is it the Athlon XP, motherboard, the RAM, or power supply? You can probably use most of the parts if you don't jump to a brand new platform. If you have spare parts to plug in and diagnose the issue, may be you only need to change one component for minimal cost and you'll run fine again. Your system is probably Socket A. The Athlon XP Barton 3200+ is about as high as you can go with Socket A, so it may or may not make sense for you to upgrade the whole thing depending on how satisfied you were with the 2600+ system.

Well I'd love to but I'm encountering wierd problems...either I have two completely different SATA drives with the exact same problem or some wierd motherboard issue with SATA. I first replaced the drive thinking it had failed...same problem. Then I replaced the SATA controller with a PCI one. It worked for a month then same problem. I'm having bad data corruption. Right now I'm posting from said computer but running a PATA drive and everything seems to be ok...

It is just wierd and I don't like it! lol I just want to be able to run my 600gb of SATA hdd's without issue!

I know the ram is ok, I know the cpu is ok, but it just doesn't jive when I'm using SATA. I just want to be done with this motherboard but can't afford to do it right.